‘Don’t neglect your sneeze, it may lead to wheeze’, is the message pulmonologists gathered for the 48th National Conference of Indian College of Allergy, Asthma and Applied Immunology are seeking to spread to the public.
Speaking to The Hindu , professor of Pulmonary Medicine, JSS Medical College, Mysuru, P.A. Mahesh, said several people tend to ignore their nasal allergies.
About 30 to 50 per cent suffering from cold for a prolonged period without having fever are likely to develop asthma over a period of two to 10 years, said Dr. Mahesh, who is also the organising secretary of the conference.
ADVERTISEMENT
Pointing out that allergic diseases had become a major cause of morbidity afflicting India as well as other countries in the world, Dr. Mahesh said studies had shown that prevalence of allergies was increasing not only in frequency, but also in severity.
“Allergies are afflicting children and adults. While children suffering from allergies have to miss school, afflicted adults have to skip work, affecting productivity,” he said.
A recent study by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), on a sample size of 1.75 lakh people across 12 centres in different States revealed that four to 16 per cent of the population are affected by allergies. “The percentage is different in different sample centres,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
The conference, which is being organised for the first time in Mysuru under the auspices of the Indian College of Allergy Asthma and Applied Immunology, South Zone, will feature scientific activities, including workshops, symposia, panel discussions, plenary lectures and submission of research papers on the latest developments in the field of allergy, asthma and immunology.
The conference, which was inaugurated earlier in the day by Vice Chancellor of Mysore University K.S. Rangappa, concludes on December 14.